Three turkeys in every pot . . .

Turkeys outnumber Hoosiers three to one!

By KODY FISHER
WISH-TV | wishtv.com

Indiana boasts more turkeys than state residents.

In fact, for every one Hoosier among the population of more than 6.8 million, there are three turkeys.

Indiana is the fourth-largest producer of turkeys in the United States. Poultry and agriculture leaders tell I-Team 8 there’s still room for growth.

In 2024, a little more than 20 million turkeys were produced in Indiana. In 14 counties, there are more turkeys than people. In some counties, turkeys outnumber people 10 to 1.

Rebecca Joniskan, president of the Purdue University-based Indiana State Poultry Association, “We are No. 4 when you count heads, but we’re actually No. 3 when you count poundage.”

State leaders predict continued growth for the turkey industry in Indiana, but it won’t be unlimited growth because of the fluctuating costs of maintaining large flocks of gobblers.

Don Lamb, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, said, “The costs that are out of the control of a producer is really one of the limiting factors.”

Around Thanksgiving, a lot of people see full turkeys on their kitchen tables, but Indiana’s turkeys aren’t usually the whole birds on people’s thanksgiving tables.

Joniskan said, “We don’t market very many whole birds, so most of our turkey goes into ground turkey, most significantly, premium deli turkey meat.”

Reminding people that turkey can be eaten any time is one way state leaders see the industry growing. Lamb said, “Everything’s got a marketing problem, so we can always sell more turkey year-round.”

But, turkey farming involves a lot of risk. The main one is disease, mainly, bird flu. Joniskan said, “It is the largest uncertainty. If disease does get introduced, we’re ready for it.”

There’s only been one bird flu outbreak in Indiana this year, but, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, 10 commercial flocks and six backyard flocks had bird flu outbreaks in 2022 and 2023.

This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/indiana-news/indiana-turkey-production-2024.